Bank holiday travel chaos on M5

Thousands of motorists heading off for the Bank Holiday weekend were trapped
in traffic for more than six hours after the M5 was closed due to a suicidal
man threatening to throw himself off the Avonmouth Bridge.

The northbound carriageway of the M5 was closed from around 2pm between junction 19 at Portishead and junction 18 at Avonmouth, allowing on man to walk his dog on the hard shoulderPhoto: JAY WILLIAMS

8:00AM BST 29 Aug 2009

The man and police negotiators were locked in a stand-off from 1pm on the bridge on the northbound carriageway of the motorway near Bristol.

The man, thought to be in his late 50s and from Bristol, jumped into the water below shortly after 7.30pm. Coastguards later recovered his body.

The northbound carriageway of the M5 was closed from around 2pm between junction 19 at Portishead and junction 18 at Avonmouth.

Queues of traffic for 28 miles built up as bank holiday weekend motorists found themselves at a standstill.

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Highway Agency officers handed out bottles of water to the stranded drivers and their passengers.

Three of the four northbound lanes were reopened just after 8pm but motorists were warned traffic would be moving slowly for some time.

Avon and Somerset Police's Professional Standards Department has been informed and the incident is being referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

A spokesman said: "The welfare of this man, coupled with the safety of emergency services personnel at the scene and concerns for other road users who were becoming distracted by the incident, prompted police to close the M5 northbound.

"Being a Friday and a Bank Holiday (weekend), this incident caused considerable congestion, with traffic queuing as far back as Bridgwater in the northbound carriageway, and with traffic travelling south experiencing severe disruption.

"Decisions to enforce significant road closures are not taken lightly by the force, and are only taken in cases where there is considerable risk to life or safety."

Assistant Chief Constable John Long said: "While many motorists were understandably frustrated and angry about the disruption and delays to their journey, the safety of everyone concerned was the paramount priority.

"We are grateful to those motorists, their families, friends and everyone else who has been affected by this tragic incident, for their patience and co-operation."